Even mild corporate punishment is unacceptable

Jan 29, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The subject of corporal punishment is proving to be controversial in Guyana, for several reasons.  One is that the definition of corporal punishment is different for each individual, for example some would call it child abuse and others would say it’s a necessary practice in order to teach discipline to school children.  However, history can teach us so much if we could just allow our minds to stay open for a moment and critically look at what once was, and maybe it would shed some light on this debate of whether to abolish corporal punishment from schools in Guyana or not.
According to the Child Abuse Statistics, it should be difficult for anyone who would like the best for any child to support corporal punishment as a means of teaching discipline to school children.  Eighty percent of prisoners in the United States were abused as children or raised in abusive homes.  The more children are beaten in any form, the more anger they report as adults, the more they are to use beating on their own children, the more likely they are to approve of beating or hitting a spouse or partner, and the more marital conflict they experience as adults.  Children who are beaten frequently at age three are more likely to be aggressive when they’re five, even when you account for probable perplexing factors.
Signs of aggression included behaviors such as arguing or screaming; cruelty, bullying or meanness to others; destroying things; fighting and frequently with classmates or friends; threatening people.  The evidence would show that even minor forms of corporal punishment increases the risk for child aggressive behavior.  Actions causing pain such as beating a child can acquire a positive value rather than the intended aversive value.  Children who are expecting pain may actually search for it through escalating misbehaviors.   Corporal punishment is no more effective as a long-term strategy than other approaches, and the reliance on corporal punishment as a discipline approach makes other discipline strategies less effective to use over time.  I am positive that if there were more research done or available in Guyana on corporal punishment and its long-term effects children, the findings might be unsettling for most to digest.
His Excellency President David Granger stated “look for the causes-to meaningfully address domestic violence”.  Those were the words of President Granger as he addressed the people attending a workshop held at the Marriot Hotel to tackle domestic violence in Guyana.   An overwhelming body of research now shows that even mild and moderate corporal punishment has harmful side effects.  Documented negative effects of corporal punishment that reach into adulthood include mental health issues, criminal behaviors and aggression.  Given that children learn relationship skills and social behaviors in the home and mostly at school, it is not surprising that those who witness or experience corporal punishment are more likely to perpetuate those patterns in adulthood.
In fact, some research has found a direct correlation between the level of abuse experienced by mothers and the beliefs of primary school children about the intrinsic dominance of men in society.  Research also suggests that, by adolescence, children who have experienced corporal punishment or witnessed often acts of aggravated physical outburst from figures of authority often have trouble trusting others and forming healthy intimate relationships.  This leads young people to question whether they would be able to have control over their aggression and become non aggressive spouses, friends, or peers.
Violent forms of physical domestic abuse of all kinds happen daily in Guyana, and thousands of people have died and even more are suffering from the psychological scars which live on for generations.  Yet we are still debating if the use of force and aggression in our schools should be maintained and upheld.
A growing public concern and strong research evidence supporting the negative impacts of corporal punishment to children has led 35 countries to ban corporal punishment in the past thirty years.  People are not saying that teaching is uncomplicated, yet as teachers, parents and caregivers, it is incumbent on you to guide our children’s behavior towards being the best human beings they can be.
This brings me highlight some important characteristics of a positive environment where an alternative approach towards discipline can be developed.  Teachers could start inculcating strategies to:
* as an interim to measure, identify and use non violent disciplinary measures such detention
* collaborate with all stakeholders to find long-term solutions that develop our children’s own self-discipline;
* build a mutually respectful relationships between teacher and child;
* frequently promote non-violence and respect for children as learners;
* involve at all times clear communication of teachers expectations, rules and boundaries;
* work on increasing children’s competence and confidence to handle challenging situations;
* impress on children the importance of courtesy, non-violence, empathy, self-respect, human rights and respect for others.
Abdel Fudadin

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